Foldable tub



Aug. 30, 1960 S6 A. JAFF E FOLDABLE TUB Filed Aug. 29, 1958 JNVENTOR. SARAH A. JAFFE FOLDABLE TUB Sarah A. Static, 77 W. 174th St, Bronx, N.Y.

Filed Aug. 29, 1958, Ser. No. 757,949

1 Claim. (Cl. 4177) This invention relates to foldable receptacles, and more particularly to a water-proof receptacle which may be employed as a bath tub for an infant, or for any other useful purpose requiring a receptacle of the general nature of such a tub.

A main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved foldable water-proof receptacle especially useful as a collapsible bath tub for an infant, the receptacle being simple in construction, being foldable to a very compact size, and being provided with means for suitably reinforcing same at the points of maximum stress.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved foldable water-proof receptacle, said receptacle being inexpensive to manufacture, being durable in construction, and being foldable to a relatively compact and neat package.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claim, and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a perspective view of an improved receptacle, according to the present invention, unfolded for use as a bath tube for an infant.

Figure 2 is a perspective View showing the components of the receptacle of Figure 1, in partly folded position with the stiffening bar elements disposed alongside the partly folded receptacle.

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the receptacle of Figures 1 and 2 completely folded and ready for transportation.

Figure 4 is an enlarged horizontal cross sectional detail view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is an enlarged transverse vertical cross sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings, 11 generally designates an improved foldable water-proof receptacle according to this invention, the recepectacle comprising a generally rectangular body of water-proof material, such as flexible plastic material or the like, said body including a pair of relatively foldable side portions which are connected at a transverse bisecting plane by relatively yieldable fold line portions 12 and 13, 13. Thus, the bottom of the receptacle comprises a pair of relatively stiif rectangular plastic wall elements 14, 14 which are connected by the relatively yieldable transverse fold line portion 12. The side Walls of the receptacle comprise respective relatively stiff segments 15, 15 which are connected by the relatively yieldable fold line portion 13. Said side wall segments are further provided with relatively yieldable diagonal crease lines 16, 16, said crease lines being inclined upwardly and inwardly and being located adjacent the ends of the side walls, whereby the side walls are at times foldable inwardly to positions overlying the bottom wall segments 14, 14, as illustrated in Figure 2.

The vertical corners 17 of the receptacle likewise comprise relatively yieldable fold line portions so that the Patented Aug. 3t fwd-9 wall elements on adjacent sides thereof may be readily folded relative to each other.

As shown in Figure 5, the side wall elements 16 may include relatively thick stiffening members 19 to stiffen same at non-folding portions thereof. Similarly, the bottom wall members 14 may be provided with relatively thick reinforcing elements 20 to stiffen same as nonfolding portions thereof, as shown in Figure 4. Similarly, the end walls, shown at 21, 21, may be provided with reinforcing inserts 22 laminated thereto to stiffen said end walls.

The end walls 21, 21 are formed at the intermediate portions of their upper margins with generally crescent shaped, horizontally extending openings 23, defining carrying handle portions 24' thereabove, as shown in Figure 1.

The top portions of the corners of the receptacle 11 are provided with respective flexible sleeve members 24 which extend horizontally around said top corners and which have open ends 25. Designated at 26 are respective relatively thick flexible bar members which are slidably engageable in the sleeve 24 and which are sufliciently flexible to pass around the vertical corners of the receptacle and to assume the positions illustrated in Figure 1, said bar members acting as reinforcements for the respective upper margins of the vertical corners of the receptacle when the receptacle is set up for use in the manner illustrated in Figure 1. Similarly, the inner surfaces of the top portions of the side walls of the receptacle are provided with respective flexible sleeves 27, open at their opposite ends, said sleeves extending across the bisecting fold line portions 13, as shown in Figure 1, and being adapted to receive relatively rigid reinforcing bar elements 28. The reinforcing bar elements 28 are slidably engageable in the sleeve member 27 and are of substantial length, whereby said rigid reinforcing bars 28 act as stiffeners to support the side walls at the top portions of the fold line elements 13, 13 thereof when the receptacle is set up in the manner illustrated in Figure 1.

The receptacle is provided at one end thereof with a flexible loop 29 of suitable flexible material, such as plastic material, or the like, which projects a substantial distance from the end of the receptacle, being se-' cured to the intermediate portion of the end of the underside thereof, as shown in Figure l. The loop 29 is provided with a transverse flexible strap portion 30, defining a locking aperture 31 between the strap portion '30 and the adjacent end wall 21. At the opposite end, the underside of the receptacle is provided at its intermediate portion with a flexible strap member 32 to the end of which is secured a cross bar portion 33, said cross bar portion being of relatively rigid material, and being engageable through the locking loop 31 so as to be transversely disposed across the outer surfaces adjacent thereto, in the manner illustrated in Figure 3, whereby to lock the receptacle in its folded position, and whereby the remainder of the loop 29 serves as a carrying handle for the folded receptacle.

When the receptacle is to be folded up for transportation, the respective bar members 26 are removed from their sleeves and may be stored in a transverse pocket 35 provided on the underside of the receptacle, namely, at the outer surface of one of the bottom wall elements 14, as shown in Figure 3. The pocket member 35 is large enough in size to receive all of the reinforcing bar elements 26 and 28, and is provided with a cover flap 36 which may be releasably fastened in any suitable manner so as to close the pocket 35 and prevent loss of the reinforcing bar members.

When the receptacle is to be set up for use, the cross the receptacle to be unfolded. The walls of the receptacle are then unfolded to their positions shown in Figure 1, after which the reinforcing bars 26 and 28 are "inserted in their respective sleeves, thus stiffening the walls of the receptacle and allowing the receptacle to be employed as a bath tub for an. infant, or for any other desired purpose.

While-a specific embodiment of 'an improved foldable tub has been disclosed in the foregoing description, it will be understood that various modifications within theispirit of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore it is intended that no limitations to be placed on the invention except as defined by the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

A foldable container of the character described comprising a generally rectangular receptacle of water-proof material having a bottom wall, longitudinal side walls, and transverse end walls, said side walls being relatively flexible and being foldable inwardly along upwardly and inwardly inclined diagonal crease lines at their end portions, said bottom wall and side walls being relatively flexible and being foldable on lines a ,7 2,950,484 A H 1 .11

' transverselybisecting same, lockingly interengageable fastening elements on the intermediate portions of the bottom edges of said transverse end walls, respective flexible sleeve members on the outer surfaces of the top portions of the vertical corners of said receptacle and extending horizontally around said top corners, relatively thick flexible reinforcing bars engageable in said sleeve members, said bars being sufliciently flexible to pass around said vertical corners, additional flexible sleeve members on the inner surfaces of the top portions of the side walls extending horizontally across-the bisecting fold lines of said side walls, and relatively rigid reinforcing bars engageable in said last-named sleeve members,

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Australia June 26, 1947 

